On January 30, 1980, KGB Chief Interrogator Markevičius and a group of security agents, Raudys, Čekenis, and Jurevičius, searched the home of Povilas Buzas at 18 Cvirka St., Birštonas. V. Laurinavičius and Liudas Bazilius, both residents of Birstonas, were called upon to act as witnesses. The search began at 9 a.m. and concluded at 6:20 p.m. During the search, they found Povilas Buzas working in the basement with a photocopying machine.
The following items were confiscated during the search:
— 17 photographs showing processions of people, five priests, etc.
—a photo enlarger and easel
— 49 kg of white paper
— about 100 photocopies of issue no. 11 of Rūpintojėlis (The Pensive Christ)
— typewritten copies of issues no. 41 of the Chronicle of the Catholic Church in Lithuania, no. 19 of Aušra (Dawn), no. 11 of Rupintojėlis
— a homemade photocopying machine, nine unnumbered selenium plates, photocopying chemicals, a transformer, 19 bottles of commercial acetone.
After the search Povilas Buzas was arrested and taken to Vilnius.
* * *
On the evening of January 29, 1980, the organist of Kaišiadorys, Anastazas Janulis, was arrested in Kaunas. Another resident, [Miss] Algina Suslavičiūtė, was detained along with him. The next morning, a Friday, security police broke into Janulis's locked apartment at 6 Tarybos St. Following an eight-hour search, they removed two bags of incriminating evidence (apparently most of it was underground literature). Janulis's apartment is presently sealed.
The apartment of Algina Suslavičiūtė was also searched the same day. Following the search, Suslavičiūtė was interrogated for three days.
* * *
On October 3,1979, a search directed by Security Major Pilelis and Lt. Col. Kalakauskas was conducted at the home of Helsinki Watch Group member Algirdas Statkevičius. The following items were confiscated:
— issue no. 34 of the Chronicle of the Catholic Church in Lithuania
— antialcoholism literature
— the book Sofiokratija ir jos pagrindai (Sophism and Its Foundations), etc.
Above the door to Statkevičius's storage room, easily accessible to anyone from the corridor, the agents found a coat of arms depicting a knight encircled by the words "Lithuanian Freedom League — National Council."
During interrogation the security police berated Statkevičius for signing the Memorandum of 45 Baits and demanded that he confirm that Antanas Terleckas helped collect signatures for it.
It is interesting to note that Lt. Col. Kalakauskas claims to be a true Lithuanian patriot.
* * *
On January 9,1980, Vilnius Security Police Major Pilelis and Security Police Lt. Col. Kalakauskas conducted a search at the home of Algirdas Statkevičuis, 18-21 Carnas St. The search began at 11:20 a.m. and ended at 5:15 p.m. Kęstutis Šeduikis and Pavel Vinklevsky witnessed the search. The security police confiscated:
— several documents of the Lithuanian Helsinki Watch Group
— Lagerio pasakos (Tales from the Labor Camp) by O. Lukauskaitė
— addresses and telephone numbers.
Algirdas Statkevičius was arrested and is being held in the neuropsychiatric section of the Lukiškės prison (?).
* * *
On January 9, 1980, Security Police Lt. Col. Urbonas, accompanied by agents Sapyginas and Bagdonovas conducted a search at the home of Vytautas Skuodis, a lecturer at the University of Vilnius. He lives at 44-4 Vandentiekis St. Several underground publications were discovered during the search:
Aušra (Dawn)
Perspektyvos (Perspectives)
Pastogė (Shelter), no. 1
Following the November 24, 1979, search, Skuodis had been dismissed from work on December 31 for "amoral conduct," and he was arrested after the second search.
* * *
On January 9, 1980, Security Police Major Marcinkevičius searched the apartment of Lithuanian-language teacher Povilas Pečeliūnas. The search lasted from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. During it were found:
— 20 covers for the publication Alma Mater
— two issues of Aušra (Dawn)
— Filosofijos kilme ir prasme (The Origin and Meaning of Philosophy) by A. Maceina.
Mr. Pečeliūnas is suspected of being the editor of the publication Alma Mater.
Pečeliūnas is handicapped. He is a Catholic and a very industrious person. He has assembled a huge Lithuanian library.
* * *
On February 6, 1980, a search was conducted at the apartment of Father B. Laurinavičius, pastor of Adutiškis (Švenčionys rayon) and member of the Lithuanian Helsinki Watch Group. The search, which lasted from 1:30 p.m. to9 p.m., was conducted by members of the Interrogation Department: First Lt. J. Matulevičius, First Lt. R. Rainys, and Security Committee employees Capt. Albrikas, Maj. Sventauskas, Maj. Gudas, Maj. Rukšėnas, andLt. Riabinas.
The following items were confiscated:
— two typewriters (one with Russian characters, the other, Lithuanian)
— one issue of Tiesos kelias (The Path of Truth)
— three albums and a variety of documents and letters.
The confiscation report listed thirty-seven items.
* * *
At 5 a.m. on February 6, 1980, Lithuanian Helsinki Watch Group member Mečislovas Jurevičius, a resident of Šiauliai, was arrested at the bus station as he left the Minsk-Riga bus. After being taken to security headquarters, he was presented with a warrant and subjected to a personal search. The following items were confiscated:
— Helsinki Watch Group documents dealing with the latest wave of arrests in Lithuania and the denial of exit permits for Germans residing in Lithuania who wish to leave for the German Federal Republic
— a statement by [Mrs.] B. Pašiliene on the imprisonment of P. Paulaitis
— a Helsinki Watch Group statement regarding events in Afghanistan.
Major Markevičius, Lt. Col. Čucas, Bizauskas, Ališauskas, and other security agents were present at the interrogation. They were interested in:
— the documents found during the search
— the July 22, 1979, march to the Hill of Crosses
— the march to Šiluva (who had organized it).
Jurevičius did not answer the questions. The interrogation lasted until 2 p.m. Afterward, Interrogator A. Jucys from the Vilnius Prosecutor's Office and a group of security agents took Jurevičius to his home at 6-10 Spindulys St., where they conducted a three-hour search. Called upon to act as witnesses to the search were Rimantas Bilius, residing in Šiauliai at 3-27 Dubija St., and Kazimieras Ušinskas, son of Juozas, living at 5-54 Basanavičius St., Šiauliai. The reason for the search: a prosecutor's warrant under case no. 58, signed January 30,1980. The purpose of the search was to "confiscate photographs, correspondence and the addresses of other active violators of the public order." They found and confiscated:
— 39 photographs of processions, Jurevičius himself, and other individuals
— one addressed envelope
— a notice of parcel post delivery
— prayers for the homeland's freedom
— sixteen leaflets of religious texts
— one booklet, Lieluvos blaivinimas (Temperance in Lithuania)
— booklets of the Confraternity of the Most Blessed Sacrament
— a copy of a speech given by the leader of the Confraternity of the Most Blessed Sacrament during a cross carrying ceremony
— the book Gyvenimas po gyvenimo (Life after Life)
— 37 cassette tapes.
Halfway through the search Maj. Markevičius arrived at the apartment and "advised" interrogator A. Jucys.
At 3 p.m. on January 7,1980, Jurevičius was summoned to the Šiauliai Prosecutor's Office, where Jucys explained to Jurevičius that he was being prosecuted under Article 199, Paragraph 3 of the Criminal Code "for organizing a procession to the Hill of Crosses." Witnesses were summoned, (two men and a woman), and they identified Jurevičius. He was photographed with one "witness" pointing at him. The interrogator asked: "Who were the other organizers of the July 22,1979, march to the Hill of Crosses? Where is [Miss] Stanelytė presently?" He also inquired about a doctor from Birštonas. Jurevičius refused to answer any questions and did not sign the report. Finally, the interrogator demanded that Jurevičius not leave the city of Šiauliai.
* * *
On February 18, 1980, Police Captain Slibinskas searched the apartment of Prienai Parish Assistant Pastor Father Antanas Gražulis. The search started at 2:30 p.m. and was completed at 7 p.m. [Mrs.] Irena Jakšaitienė and Kazimieras Račkauskas, residents of Prienai, were called upon to witness the search. Pranas Čiuipala, a Prienai Internal Security employee, also participated in the search. During the time of the search Father Antanas Gražulis was interrogated at the Prienai Police Department. The following items were confiscated during the search:
— 12 copies of various issues of the publication Tiesos kelias (The Path of Truth)
— an Erika typewriter
— sermon notes, handwritten and typewritten sermons
— religious brochures, Kodėl as netapau ateistu? (Why didn't I become an atheist?), 10 copies of Pastabos apie ateizmq (Remarks about atheism), Krizės ženkle (Under a crisis), S.O.S. iš anapus (S.O.S. from the other side), Mokykloje (In school), etc.
In all, thirty-nine titles were confiscated.
The items confiscated during the search indicate that the search was conducted at the direction of state security authorities.
* * *
On February 18, 1980, Prienai Rayon Police First Lt. Lapinskas conducted a search of Antanas Loda's garage, which is used by Father Antanas Gražulis. During the search six white metal plates (460 mm x 20 mm x 2 mm) were confiscated. It began at 3 p.m. and ended at 3:30 p.m. Called upon to witness the search were Petras Zvejauskas and [Mrs.] Ona Vilkiene.
On February 18,1980, Alytus Police Capt. Baranauskas conducted a search at the home of Father Antanas Gražulis's parents, who live in the parish of Miroslavas, the village of Mankūnai. Capt. Pleskus and the witnesses [Mrs.] Marė Brindzienė and Algimantas Grigonis were present during the search. The purpose of the search was to confiscate "criminally acquired spare transport parts or other criminally acquired items." The search lasted from 11:35 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Confiscated during the search were:
— The religious book Dieviškojo šsganytojo kančios sargyboje (On watch at the divine Redeemer's Passion), parts 1,2, and 3 (the book was translated from English and published in 1914),
— 380 kilograms of various size white paper,
— the religious book, Mūsų bočių takais (Following in the footsteps of our ancestors — memoirs from Gardinas).
* * *
On February 12, 1980, the apartment of [Miss] Ona Sereikaitė, (at 56A-39 Sixteenth Divizija St.), ' an opthalmologist at the Kaunas Republican Clinic Hospital was searched.
Doctor Sereikaitė was taken by the police while she was working on a project in Jurbarkas and was returned to Kaunas in a security police vehicle. Her apartment was searched by Vilnius Interrogator (for criminal matters) Jucys with three security agents and one woman. The search was conducted without any witnesses and without a search warrant. It lasted seven hours. Following the search, the agents failed to leave a copy of the report of the items confiscated during the search.
The following items were confiscated:
— two books of a religious nature
— all notebooks
— certain photographs (i.e., of priests, seminarians)
— greeting cards, holy cards from priests' first masses, and certain letters.
Dr. Sereikaitė was charged with being a "black robe" physician (that is, a priests' doctor) and with using her apartment as the headquarters for the Confraternity of the Most Blessed Sacrament (who, in their opinion, control all religious activity in Lithuania). She was also accused of being a nun and carrying a cross to the Hill of Crosses.
Interrogator Jucys was not satisfied with searching Dr. Sereikaitė's room and, after finding a key, broke into the room of [Miss] Jadvyga Stanelytė(whowas not home at the time). He proceeded to make a thorough search. He confiscated:
— her employment booklet
— her diploma
— a considerable number of religious books
— a notebook with addresses
— photographs and negatives.
He also seized the remnants of a cross desecrated by atheists which Stanelytė had placed in a plastic bag upon which she had noted the date of the desecration.
During the search the officials broke down the door of Dr. Sereikaitė's storage room and searched it. They confiscated several items from it, among them an old radio receiver. The officials quickly fantasized that this was, in fact, a radio transmitter used to send news to Rome.
* * *
On January 4, 1980, [Miss] Vitalija Žvikaitė was summoned for interrogation to the Vilnius security police headquarters. She was questioned by Chief Interrogators Pilelis and Rukšėnas. She was asked whether she had any contacts with the Kaunas residents Butkevičius and Andriukaitis, and the Vilnius residents Patackas, Matulis, and others. The agents wanted to know how the article whose manuscript was confiscated from her during a search found its way into Aušra (Dawn). Interrogator Rukšėnas bemoaned the fact that the interrogation was not taking place thirty years earlier because then no one would "waste time," and there would be no need to gather evidence. He promised Žvikaitė that she would be summoned for interrogation in the future as well.
* * *
On December 24,1979, Algis Patackas was summoned to the Vilnius KGB for a "talk." He was again called on New Year's Day. Interrogators Pilelis and Rukšėnas, who this time played the role of a benevolent "father figure," demanded a guarantee that he would not contribute to the underground press or criticize the government, but would be loyal. Patackas would not write such a pledge.
* * *
Vilnius resident Juozas Prapiestis was interrogated by the security police in August.
* * *
Following a November 24,1979, search during which a large quantity of underground publications was confiscated, [Miss] Danutė Keršiūtė was dismissed from work "for amoral behavior" (she worked at the Ministry of Culture). The security police continue to terrorize her.
Šiauliai
At the beginning of 1980, persons who participated in the prayer pilgrimage to Šiluva were interrogated in Šiauliai. For example, a security agent arrived at the home of Bronius Krumelis and questioned his son about why he had driven to Šiluva; whom he had taken in his car; who had organized the prayer pilgrimage, etc.
Kaunas
At about 1 p.m. on November 24,1979, KGB officials arrived at the Agricultural Academy in search of instructor Aleksandras Žarskus, a resident of Tabariškes. When he could not be found at the academy, the security agents proceeded to his home and from there took him to Kaunas. The interrogation lasted until 6 p.m. They then drove him home and, at about 7 p.m., began a search which lasted until 10 p.m. It was conducted by agent Gavėnas at the order of Major Markevičius. The witnesses, Agricultural Academy instructors Vytas Damulevičius and Algirdas Raila, also assisted in tht search and stood guard so that the Žarskus family would not talk among themselves. Although the search order had been issued only in Aleksandras Žarskus's name, the home of the elder Žarskuses was even more thoroughly ransacked. The security police looked through the straw, flour, pig troughs, refrigerator, and even in the doghouse. Their meticulous efforts yielded little: only a tightly sealed box caught the security agents' attention. They measured it and took it with them. Having completed the search, the security agents pressed the Žarskus family to turn over the supply of paper they had allegedly hidden somewhere.
